Narcissa Malfoy and the Miseries of Malfoy Manor
by RisSpiral
Summary: Although Death Eaters have taken over her home, Narcissa is determined to keep her family united.
1. The Malfoys Descending

Under the light of their expensive glass chandelier, Narcissa looked nervously at her husband and son. The Death Eater meeting would commence in ten minutes and she was not sure how exactly to prepare herself for an encounter with the Dark Lord. She was positive that this meeting would be extremely difficult for Lucius and Draco as they both had failed the Dark Lord's tasks. Narcissa forced a detached Malfoy-esque expression on her face in hopes that she will be strong enough to support her family. All of a sudden she heard a crack of Apparition, so she rose and glanced up at Lucius.

In the next instant Lucius clutched her waist and fiddled with his wand with his other hand beneath his robes. Draco attempted to compose himself as he walked down the carpeted spiral staircase to meet his parents in the foyer. He stood beside Lucius with his hands were shaking in terror, a habit he inherited from his mother. Narcissa took a deep breath.

A tall, slim man in pitch black robes gracefully approached the Malfoys along with a train of followers. He lowered his hood and Narcissa looked at his snake-like features. Voldemort's red eyes appeared to be glowing against his boney white skin, where she found that slits replaced his nostrils. She tightened her mouth to prevent herself from gasping at his image.

Lucius uttered a soft, "Welcome, my Lord," and Draco slightly bowed his head to the Dark Lord.

He mockingly replied "Ahh Lucius, Narcissa and young Draco, I'm so pleased that you decided to use your home as my headquarters. That's very wise of you." Unexpectedly, he sported a grin that reminded her of a bully about to beat up his victim in the school yard. If she were not in a state of absolute terror she would have smirked at him.

Bastard thought Narcissa, as Voldemort pushed past the Malfoys and preceded into the drawing room followed by his Death Eaters. Narcissa recognized some of the Death Eaters in passing, Alecto and Amycus Carrow, and her sister Bellatrix. Narcissa noticed Bellatrix's unusual nervousness, and gave her a quick nod of encouragement. Bellatrix ignored her completely and walked into the next room.

Holding back a long stream of curses, she clenched her hands into fists at her sides. Narcissa was so furious that she briefly considered strangling every Death Eater who entered her home. Realizing how un-ladylike she must have appeared, she slowly uncurled her hands and let them hang limply, and tried to keep whatever dignity she had left. Lucius noticed this and without a word, guided her into the drawing room with Draco following closely behind.

In the room, she saw Voldemort seated at the head of their long mahogany table. Voldemort carelessly pointed to the opposite end of the table to ensure that the Malfoys were reminded of their past failures. Once the Malfoys were seated, Narcissa looked up at her ceiling and noticed a witch dangling upside-down, above the table. She shuddered as she thought about what the Dark Lord was planning to do the witch.

Severus Snape and Yaxley Apparated inside the room. Voldemort chastised them for almost being late then beckoned Severus to sit next to him. Narcissa glanced at Severus's usual expressionless face.

She brought her attention back to her family. She saw Lucius with his head down, looking at his crumpled hands while Draco's eyes were glued on the dangling witch. From that moment on she knew that this meeting would be a disaster.

For the first part of the meeting, the Death Eaters discussed their plan to ambush Potter while he was leaving his current home. Narcissa did not even remotely care about Voldemort's fascination about Potter's whereabouts and proceeded to stare blankly across the room. She was worried that if she were to look into his evil red eyes he would be able to detect her hatred of him, which would place the Malfoys in an even worse predicament.

A scream of terror erupted from below them and Narcissa focused once again on the contents of the meeting. Voldemort commanded Wormtail to keep the prisoner quiet, and he quickly obeyed. Narcissa was disgusted at the fact that their manor was being used not only as a headquarters, but as a prison as well. She never felt so powerless in her life.

The Dark Lord announced that in order to defeat Potter he will need to borrow someone's wand. Everyone in the room looked terrified trying to avoid Voldemort's gaze. Finally he said, "Let's see…Lucius, I see no reason for you to have a wand anymore." Narcissa's heart fell into her stomach as a defeated Lucius looked up to meet his gaze.

Lucius's face was as pale as ever and his eyes were sunken into his face. His voice was hoarse when he responded, "My Lord?"

"Your wand, Lucius. I require your wand."

"I…" At that moment Lucius glanced at her, she turned her face away to resume staring into space. She could not muster up the strength to look at him without shedding tears. Narcissa knew that Lucius had no choice but to hand over his wand, so she closed her fingers on his wrist. He withdrew his wand and handed it to the Dark Lord. She hated that bastard for taking her husband's wand, his only protection. Narcissa fought hard to hold back her tears, as he continued to humiliate them.

"What is it?" Voldemort ask Lucius while examining his wand.

"Elm, my Lord."

"And the core?"

"Dragon – dragon heartstring."

"Good." Voldemort whipped out his wand, and for a split second Narcissa thought that her husband might not be defenseless. Lucius thought so too and accidentally moved his hand forward assuming that he would receive the Dark Lord's wand in exchange.

Voldemort merely chuckled and said maliciously, "Give you my wand, Lucius? My wand?" A couple of Death Eaters sniggered, including Bellatrix, yet Severus remained frozen.

"I have given you your liberty, Lucius, is that not enough for you?" Voldemort continued, "But I have noticed that you and your family seem less than happy of late…What is it about my presence in your home that displeases you, Lucius?"

Narcissa could easily answer Voldemort's question but thought it best to hold her tongue. After all, he freed Lucius from Azkaban, although Lucius was arrested completing his task. Regardless, she had no other choice but to suppress her anger towards Voldemort because he could and would kill her family without a second thought. She glanced at Draco and saw that he had taken his eyes off of the floating witch and looked at his father. Lucius said "Nothing – nothing, my Lord!"

"Such lies, Lucius…" hissed Voldemort, as Nagini emerged and slinked around his neck. As he stroked his snake, he said in a soft voice that was more terrifying than screaming, "Why do the Malfoys look so unhappy with their lot? Is my return, my rise to power, not the very thing they professed to desire for so many years?"

Narcissa could tell the Lucius was becoming fearful when he stammered, "Of course, my Lord. We did desire it – we do." Narcissa gave a quick look at Voldemort and his snake, stiffly nodded, and looked away. Draco looked in Voldemort's direction to show that he agreed with his parents, but was too afraid to make eye contact, then resumed looking at the body overhead.

Narcissa's mind was about to burst, and she stared at the wall hoping that she would be able to emulate its blankness. She was uninterested in her sister brownnosing the Dark Lord and couldn't bear to listen to anymore of his snide remarks about her family. She only turned her attention back to the meeting when Voldemort focused on Draco.

"What say you, Draco? Will you babysit the cubs?" said Voldemort mockingly as the room burst out in laughter. He must have been referring to her despicable niece marrying that werewolf. Draco was puzzled, unsure of what he was supposed to do next, and looked up at his defeated parents for assistance.

The rest of the meeting seemed to be a blur as Narcissa was racking her brain trying to figure out a way to bring honor back to her family name. She was a Malfoy, damn it, and Lady of the Manor! She hated being treated with this much disrespect, but more importantly could not bear the thought that someone had the power to push her and her family around. That's what this bastard was doing, and she had no choice but to endure their humiliation

She brought her attention back to the Dark Lord and watched him flick Lucius's wand and say "Avada Kedavra" in a bored voice. With that, the witch's lifeless body crashed onto the table. Draco collapsed out of his chair as Nagini slithered across the table to devour her.

Narcissa was about to stand up to check on Draco when she felt her husband's large hand on her knee, both restraining and comforting her. Voldemort prevented her from caring for her son, her only son! Narcissa was a short second away from reaching for her wand and using the Cruciatus curse on him, when she remembered her situation and briefly closed her eyes in defeat. From the ground, she heard Draco gasp and a shiver went through her spine.

She finally gained the courage to open her eyes and found Lucius staring at her. His sunken gray eyes confirmed her realization that their Malfoy nobility had been destroyed. She would not allow this to happen, she would do whatever she could to bring honor back to her family. Although she grew to detest Voldemort in this one sitting, her goal and only option was to try and get back on this bastard's good side. Immediately she thought of the one person who could help her, Severus Snape.

Severus sat next to Voldemort, donning his ever so recognizable blank face. For a split second she saw a flicker of hate in his eyes as he looked at Nagini slithering over the remainders of the witch on the table. Well at least hate is an emotion, thought Narcissa bitterly. She started calculating her chances of whether Severus would help her and her family, again. She admitted to herself that the odds were not in her favor, but he was her last hope.


	2. Consoling Advice and Unnecessary Rage

"One moment, darling," said Narcissa in the gentlest tone she could muster after witnessing that horrible meeting. She took two steps past Lucius when he gently grabbed her hand and twisted her around to face him.

"Sweetheart, where are you going?" he asked firmly. Lucius understood Narcissa extremely well and could tell that she was on the verge of attacking someone. Narcissa knew that Lucius cared deeply for her but she did not have enough time to give him the proper explanation he deserved about her decision to beg Severus for aide.

Narcissa grabbed Lucius's unoccupied hand with her own. Both her hands clasped in his, she looked into his broken eyes. She carefully said, "You need to trust me, Lucius. I promise that I will explain everything to you, but for the moment it is urgent that I speak with Severus." He nodded in understanding, squeezed her hands, and released them. Lucius beckoned Draco to follow him out of the room as he watched Narcissa cautiously approach Snape.

"Severus, may I have a word?" Narcissa politely asked. He gave her a curt nod and followed her out of the drawing room and into one the many adjacent sitting rooms. During their brief walk, Narcissa racked her brain trying to think of logical reasons for Snape to help her family. When she could not come up with any, she decided to resort to constant pleading. _Here goes everything_, Narcissa thought as Snape followed her into the room closing the door behind him.

Narcissa pointed her wand at the door and murmured "_Muff_-" but was cut of by Severus's drawling.

"Well…" He began, and crossed his arms over his chest. She stared stupidly for a moment, slightly aggravated at the fact that Snape just interrupted her resulting in cutting off her spell and train of thought.

As she attempted to re-gather her thoughts, she gestured towards the couch and said, "Please have a seat, Severus." He walked over and sat down stiffly, eyeing her as she sat down next to him while trying to fight her tears and to cease her hands from shaking.

Narcissa took a deep breath and looked into his hard, unemotional face and stuttered, "Severus, please, you're my last hope! I need your help…my _family_ needs your help… The Dark Lord, what will he do to my Lucius… and Draco…will he… ever let them make up for past failures?"

"I believe you already know the answer to that question, Narcissa," said Severus as he rose from the couch.

"Severus no, please stay," pleaded Narcissa as she gripped his arm in a futile attempt to sit him back down. He glared back down at her and she immediately removed her hands and placed them limply in her lap. Narcissa looked back up at him and his face returned to its hauntingly blank state.

It was worth a shot, she thought as Severus turned away from her and towards the door. She expected that Severus would not aide her again, but the fact that her attempts failed so quickly gave her less hope of surviving Voldemort. She crumpled forward onto the floor as tears starting pouring down her cheeks, but she was too distraught to wipe them away.

"Narcissa," said Snape in a commanding voice. Narcissa looked up and saw that Snape had not left the room after all. She was in shock and tried to form the words "thank you," when she noticed Snape faced her and held his hand out. She forced her quivering hand to take his, and in one swift motion he pulled her up off the floor, towards him and started rapidly whispering in her ear.

"Listen carefully; there is no way that I could be of service to you. I helped Draco with his task last year, but this is different. The position of your family rests in the decision of the Dark Lord and I am not fool enough to attempt to _convince_ him. It is impossible for you to get back into his good graces, at least not until that Potter brat is killed. And even then, Narcissa, nothing is guaranteed."

"But, Severus, I-" Narcissa started but was cut off once again by Severus's whispers

"I wish you the best of luck," he murmured, and Narcissa looked from her watery eyes into his. Snape actually had some sympathy for her. This was too overwhelming for her to comprehend, so she ducked her face in the hollow of his neck and wept. She felt his body tense up, but she was too vulnerable to pull away from him.

Although his advice on the Malfoys' predicament was not entirely helpful, she felt herself cling to him as he was the only lifeline she had. Lucius was distraught from his time in Azkaban, and Draco, poor Draco, was in constant fear of Voldemort. She knew that none of the Death Eaters would go against the Dark Lord to defend her, not even Bellatrix. Yet Snape was there, sort of, consoling her against his better judgment.

She knew that she could not cling to him forever and decided to back away from him. At that moment, the door to their sitting room burst open and an angry Bellatrix stormed into the room.

"What's going on here, Cissy?" shrieked Bellatrix as she grabbed Narcissa by the shoulders and through her on the couch. "Do you trust _Snape_ more than your own sister?"

"Bella," Narcissa began, "Don't be absurd! Of course I trust you. It's just-"

Narcissa found herself cut off again. First Snape and now Bellatrix, as if she did not have enough to handle as it was she had to endure being screamed at now too?

As Bellatrix's pointless ranting continued she noticed Snape slip through the door, leaving the two sisters alone. _Great_, Narcissa thought bitterly, she'll have to deal with Bella's rage by herself.

"Are you even listening to me, Cissy? Everything is your fault anyway!" Bellatrix spat.

"_My_ fault, Bella, how dare you! How is anything my fault?" Narcissa stood up and glared at her older sister.

"Cissy, it's you who's to blame for the Dark Lord's anger at me! I, the Dark Lord's most trustworthy, servant has now been tossed aside and all because of your family and their failures!"

"DON'T!" screeched Narcissa. She had finally reached her breaking point. "Don't you _dare_ blame my family, when you yourself had also failed to obtain the prophecy for the Dark Lord!" Narcissa had never once brought up that incident since it occurred and certainly had never spoken to Bella like that in her entire life.

How Bellatrix had the nerve to blame her still came as a shock. It's not like it was Narcissa's fault that Andromeda married that Mudblood or that their disgusting niece married a werewolf! And not only that, but for Bella to mock her family! She couldn't believe that her sister would sink to that low of a level. Bringing them into this dispute was the absolute last straw.

Narcissa saw that Bella's look of hate matched the one etched onto her own face. She could have sworn that she saw Bellatrix reach inside her robes for her wand so she grabbed hers.

However, in the next instant Bella took her shaking hand and slapped Narcissa across the face. Neither sister moved, but they could hear the sound of their heavy breathing. Eventually, Narcissa slowly retreated back to the couch, wrapped her arms around her legs, and bowed her head into her knees. Bella took her gesture as a cue to leave, but made sure to huff and mumble her way to the door. Narcissa did not lift her head until she heard the door slam shut.

How could her life get any worse? As she had finally felt consoled by Severus, her hysterical sister had to destroy whatever comfort she had found. Having choosing her husband over Bellatrix had left Narcissa feeling lonelier than ever. Narcissa had no one left to turn to, not while Lucius was still distraught about his experience in Azkaban and while Draco had too much on his plate. She couldn't in good conscious have her son worry about her. She also did not want to put Severus in a vulnerable position on her behalf, after he already had.

Narcissa couldn't get herself to move off of the couch. She wasn't even able to conjure another tear.


	3. Fight Club

In the large, luxurious master bedroom, Narcissa laid crumpled in a ball at the edge of the bed. She fought hard to keep her puffy red eyes open while the rest of her body remained motionless. Narcissa felt isolated. Her home turned into her own personal hell. _How am I going to survive this?_, she thought hopelessly.

All of a sudden, a loud _thud _erupted from Draco's bedroom. As she stood up, her mind was immediately brought back to the present. Her thoughts were in complete disarray as she scrambled towards the door. Narcissa tried to eliminate the pessimistic thoughts that were streaming through her mind. She hoped to god that Death Eaters were not torturing Lucius and Draco. _Please leave them unharmed_, she pleaded in her thoughts. Narcissa carelessly wiped away her tears, and rushed to Draco's bedroom.

She burst opened the door and found that Lucius had Draco pinned up against the wall. With Draco's wand in his hand, Lucius thrust it so far into his son's throat that it was about to spurt blood.

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?," Narcissa screamed while she tried to process what had happened in the room. Lucius slightly loosened his grip on Draco and the two men stared at her in shock. Narcissa _never_ swore, as she was raised to be a proper lady. Lucius and Draco took notice of her extreme rage and Lucius tried to calm her down while Draco gasped for breath.

"Sweetheart, _settle_ down and-"

_Settle down_! Was he serious? Oh because, watching her husband and son in a fist fight is _so_ _relaxing_. She had to take control of this situation and make him realize how ridiculous their actions were. "_Expelliarmus_" she said in a commanding voice and she watched Draco's wand fly out of Lucius's hand and onto the floor. Before Lucius and Draco could reach for the wand, Narcissa yelled, "_Accio_ _wand_." She caught her son's wand in her hand, shoved it in her robes, and dashed at them.

The glint of anger in Narcissa's eyes was as hard and unmerciful as Bellatrix's. She was far past self-control. She ripped the two off of each other and shouted, "Have your testosterone fueled minds clouded your ability to think properly? Is defending your _manly_ honor more important than sticking together as a family?" The disappointment in her voice was more prominent than her anger. Her head switched rapidly from her husband to her son, daring them to speak.

"Narcissa, dear, I-"

This was _her_ chance to cut people off "Are you really going to let the Dark Lord's wrath, tear us apart. If so, then I am extremely disappointed in the two of you and ashamed to be a member of such a _weak_ family. How can you do this to each other… do this to me?" Her voice cracked and there was absolute silence.

Both Draco and Lucius were too ashamed of themselves to look into Narcissa's eyes and stared at opposite walls. Draco decided to break the silence and step into the argument. "Mother, I'm sor-"

"Save your breath, Draco" Narcissa muttered breathlessly. She was emotionally drained and too exhausted from her continuous yelling to lecture him further. _At least I made my point_, Narcissa thought sulkily.

Lucius approached her and said softly, "Narcissa, please forgive m-"

"_Don't_, Lucius, just don't!" Narcissa said furiously. Lucius drew his hand back from reaching to cup her face and let it fall to his side. This was the first time that she didn't want him touching her. The fact that she was repulsed by her husband disgusted her. She through Draco wand, not caring about which direction it flew in, and stormed out of the room.


	4. The Repercussions of a Broken Wand

As Narcissa walked down the spiral staircase and into the foyer, she noticed two figures conversing in the center of the room. _Perfect_, Narcissa thought sarcastically, at least there were two Death Eaters who were punctual enough to arrive early for their meeting. She walked down a couple of steps and noticed blond hair creeping through the sides of their hoods.

Lucius and Draco were having a rational conversation? How did this happen, when two days ago they would have happily ripped each others' throats out? Narcissa quietly descended from the stairs and tried to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Father, I am sorry for the childish way I've behaved," Draco said, as if he practiced that phrase for hours in order for it to sound professional. He had always emulated his father and sought his approval in every way that he could. Draco opened his mouth to continue but, Lucius put his hand out, with his palm facing Draco's face, and started to speak.

"Draco, say no more. I am not particularly _proud_ of the way that I've acted as either, son, but we need to stay strong for your mother's sake." Draco nodded in agreement and stared intently at his father.

Lucius gripped Draco's shoulder, gave him a slight smiled and said "son, I am extremely proud of you." Draco's smile quickly stretched across his face.

Narcissa suppressed a chuckle as she watched Draco having a difficult time trying to reduce his gaping smile. Somehow, he managed to say "thank you, father."

She was grateful for being able to witness their father-son moment but was more excited at the fact that she was able to get through to them. Narcissa hoped that their reconnection was filled with enough brightness to help her endure the meeting. She decided to reveal herself and walked over to them.

During her walk she started remembering what Lucius had told her during about the Death Eaters' past attempt at killing Potter. She immediately regretted being furious with him and only half-heartedly listened to his story. All that she could recall was that Lucius's wand was destroyed and that Potter escaped. _Well I'm sure that the Dark Lord will fill me in on what I've missed with his malicious remarks_, Narcissa thought cynically.

"Lucius, Draco, are you ready to head into the drawing room?," she asked extremely politely, trying to show that she forgave them. Draco nodded, and instead of being confused as to why she did not glare at him, his mind was preoccupied with concealing his glowing smile from Lucius's compliment. Lucius on the other hand, studied her curiously.

Lucius began, "Narcissa, I just want to say how-," but she cut him off by placing two fingers to his lips.

She said "shh, please don't fret, darling" as she replaced her fingers with her lips and gave him a quick kiss. He grinned at her, understanding that he was forgiven. She was about to take Draco into her embrace when she heard, a familiar _crack_ of Apparition. She closed her hand on Lucius's upper arm, and the Malfoys entered the drawing room.

The room was soon filled with Death Eaters. Narcissa smiled appreciatively at Snape, who donned his trademarked blank face, as he sat down at the table. He briefly nodded and she knew that behind his unemotional façade, he had some compassion for her. She looked at Bellatrix, who childishly glanced in the other direction, pretending not to notice her. _Stubborn and bitchy as always aren't you Bella_, Narcissa thought, and she glanced up at Lucius's horrified face and held his hand under the table.

This was the slowest and most emotionally draining meeting Narcissa had been to thus far. She obligated herself to sit back and not protest to the Dark Lord humiliating her family. Voldemort acted as if Lucius was invisible while he forced Draco to use the Cruciatus Curse on Olivander. Narcissa had no room left in her body to pity Olivander and focused her energy on supporting Lucius as she was unable to aide Draco in any way. The meeting was unbearable, and approximately ten times worse than the first.

She wished that she was able to take Draco's place and torture for him so that she wouldn't have to look at his terrified and pain-filled face. She was unable to conceal her troubled features as she looked at her husband. Lucius met Narcissa's worried gaze and he realized that it he needed to lift off some of the weight that she carried on her shoulders.


	5. We are Family

With their hands laced together, Lucius led Narcissa into their bedroom and onto their bed. He cradled her in his embrace and she buried her face in his neck and wept. Tenderly, he rubbed her back, in small circular motions, to comfort her. Narcissa made several unsuccessful attempts to stop crying and tried to prevent herself from sinking further into her husband's hold.

"Everything is going to be alright, sweetheart," he whispered softly in her ear. Narcissa jerked her head up to meet his gaze.

"No, Lucius, it won't be. You can't honestly tell me that you are unafraid of this upcoming battle. What if-"

"Draco will be fine, I'll be fine," he assured her as if he read her mind. She gave him a quick, fake smile and looked away from him and up at the ceiling. The _hell_ they'll be okay! Voldemort had sent Lucius on several of his tasks and half of the time he barely made it out of them alive. And the Dark Lord obviously sees Draco as _disposable_ being that he sent him on a suicide mission last year.

"Narcissa, look at me," Lucius said, interrupting her thoughts. He took his hand, cupped her chin, and tilted her face upwards. She knew that Lucius was concerned for her, and could tell that he was irritated that she wasn't confiding in him completely. He gazed into her eyes intently and said, "Please tell me, what you're thinking about. I want to help you through this, honey."

Narcissa felt as that Lucius's stare rendered her immobile. He noticed that he had this effect on her and lowered his hand, knowing that he had her full attention. Lucius brushed his fingers across her pale face and her eyes closed at his touch. Narcissa gathered her final thoughts together, took a deep breath, and opened her eyes.

"Lucius, I… I know that you and Draco are Death Eaters and believe in the Dark Lord's cause and…Well, I don't quite know how to say this but, although I would enjoy taking over the Muggle world, I don't fully support this cause."

"I see" said Lucius calmly, "and why is that?," he prompted.

"Because, Lucius, I support another cause" she said, gaining a bit more confidence as she continued, "the survival of our family." There was a brief pause as she watched Lucius expectantly, waiting for his reaction. She felt her heart sink into her stomach. Narcissa had been thinking about this since the first Death Eater meeting that she was forced to attend, and hoped that her husband had the same thoughts. She was scared of what might happen if they disagreed or if the Dark Lord penetrated her thoughts and killed her family just to spite her.

Lucius lowered his head and moved his lips within an inch of her ear. _I guess this is it_, she thought, and took a deep breath. Lucius whispered, "I absolutely agree, love," and swept her into a long, lingering kiss.

Breathless from the relief she felt that he supports her from their intimate kiss, Narcissa decided that she needed to bring up other serious matters, before they get carried away. "Honey, please, you need to take my wand," she said, withdrawing her wand from her robes.

"No I can't do that, Narcissa. You will not be defenseless." Lucius's voice was firm, which meant that he had clearly made his decision and that there was no way to convince him otherwise. She sighed and decided to not waste her time arguing, and sank back into Lucius's embrace with the faintest smile on her face. She had gotten what she strived for, a united family.


	6. Boarding the Hogwarts Express

Narcissa and Draco were silent while they Apparated onto platform 9 and ¾. Draco refused to let her help him load his trunk onto the Hogwarts Express, and lifted his supplies into a corridor in one swift motion. He returned to his mother, unsure of what to say before his departure.

Narcissa and Lucius thought that it would be best to send Draco back to Hogwarts for his seventh year. Not, for the purpose of education, but so that he would be away from the distress at their manor. Narcissa was also informed that Severus will be the headmaster this year, and knew that her son would be well protected. She felt as if she owed Severus her life for looking out for her family on countless occasions, and couldn't think of a single way to pay him back.

Narcissa looked around at the few embracing families, who seemed unable to let go of each other. Draco got off the train and approached his mother. The two stood in silence for a moment, incapable of starting their goodbyes. Oh how, she wished that Lucius was with her for moral support. She took a deep breath, _we're doing the right thing_ she thought, and she placed her hands on Draco's shoulders.

She looked up at him, as he was taller than her, and said in a pleading voice, "Draco, please, promise me that you be careful." He met her watering eyes, and tried extremely hard not to let them soften him up.

He tried to emulate Lucius and as confidently as possible he said "mother, you know that I will be, but, you have to make me a promise in return." Narcissa nodded and waited for her son to continue. He grew up so much over the summer that he spoke with an authority that made him seem like a full grown adult as opposed to a seventeen year old. "You need to take care of yourself! Don't worry about me, mum, or father. You have to promise me that you will try your best to relax."

"Sure, of course, Draco. Everything will be fine," she lied unconvincingly. Tears started streaming down her face as she embraced him. Draco picked up on her lie but didn't utter a word, and let her grasp onto him without complaint. "I'm really going to miss you, son. I love you and you make me so proud," she said between sobs, as she slowly pulled away.

Draco forced himself to be strong and gently wiped away her tears. He gave his mother a quick peck on the cheek and whispered, "I love you too, mum." Draco caught her as she was about to collapse into him, and heard the conductor shout for passengers to board the train. He retreated back to the train and stared worriedly at his mother through the window.

As the train left the station, she hoped that this would not be the last time that she saw her son, and that her family would survive this battle, together.


End file.
